In Pixar’s Cars, Chick Hicks wins the final Piston Cup after Lightning McQueen refuses to take the victory from The King by abandoning him.
During the climactic race, Chick causes a crash that sends the retiring King into a dangerous spin. McQueen reaches the finish first but stops before the line and returns to help The King. He pushes the damaged racer across the finish line so The King can complete his final race.
Because McQueen does not finish first, Chick Hicks is officially declared the winner. Chick celebrates the championship, but the crowd rejects him because his victory followed unsportsmanlike conduct and another racer’s injury.
This ending is sometimes remembered as McQueen winning the Piston Cup because he earns the moral victory and receives Dinoco’s sponsorship offer. Officially, however, Chick gets the trophy in that race.